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Fiondil's Tapestry by Fiondil	26 Review(s)
njomo	Reviewed Chapter: 60 on 4/24/2009
Hi Fiondil. I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your stories, this one included. I've been reading your stories for quite a while, but this is my first review. I agree with your understanding of what Tolkien wrote about the similarities and differences between Elves and humans. Even today one might expect someone from a different culture to react differently than oneself in a given situation in spite of our biological similarities, and so we should not expect that an elf would react or even think the same as we. The fact that Elves are for all intents and purposes "immortal" compared to humans seems to me one of the biggest fundamental differences between the two, and to my mind would certainly influence one’s outlook and response to life. I also think it is correct to assume that an Elf who had seen the light of the Two Trees and who had experienced what an elf such as Maglor had in his long life could certainly be expected to have emotional reactions different from a human-and I would expect the same of all elves. I am reminded of what Tolkien wrote in a footnote to #212 of his published letters. “We cannot write stories about Elves, whom we do not know inwardly; and if we try we simply turn Elves into men.” Now I am certainly not recommending that no one write about Elves. I am merely suggesting that these are good words to keep in mind whether we are writer or reader. I definitely would not want you to stop writing, Fiondil, as the best treat of my week is to wake up Sunday morning to another installment of EI2! I don't want the story to ever end and cannot imagine life without it... Thanks for the many hours of enjoyment your stories continue to bring me. Joanne Author Reply: Hi Joanne. Thank you very much for your lovely review. I think your quote from Tolkien is very appropriate and this is what I keep in mind (or try to) when writing about any Elf. However similar they may be to us, even in terms of emotional register, because they are Elves and not Men, their responses to any situation are not going to correspond directly with ours and I try to convey this, however poorly. I think your example of how even humans from different cultures will respond differently to a situation is very apropos as well. Having lived for two years in China, I know that is very true. I hope now that you've written your first review you'll continue to write others as the mood strikes you. Thanks for letting me know how much you enjoy my stories, especially, EI-2. I really appreciate it.

Petra	Reviewed Chapter: 60 on 4/22/2009
In your response to Lintalome, you say: "One thing that must be kept in mind in all this is that Maglor is not human, he's an Elf, and his emotional responses to situations will not necessarily correspond to what we assume a human in the same situation would be, so if my portrayal of him seems 'off' it is for this reason: Maglor is not human and never has been and we need to respect that." Yet, in letter #153, Tolkien states: "Elves and Men are evidently in biological terms one race, or they could not breed and produce fertile offspring." Which negates that point. You also say: "Incidentally, what Maglor does here is what is known as "an examination of conscience", a practice of the Catholic church which people do before entering into the Rite of Reconciliation (Confession)." Surely you're not intending to suggest that the Elves are Catholic? From a pure writing standpoint, you seemed to jump back and forth between attempting to tell the story from one character's perception and attempting to be an ominscient narrator. One example: "He had finally reached the tundra, its desolate beauty lost on him." If its beauty is lost on him, he did not notice it, and so if you are attempting to tell the story from Maglor's perspective, it should not be mentioned. I am also curious why your Sindarin elves use Sindarin words for the Valar, but not for Valinor. A bit of a mess for me, really. Author Reply: Thanks for your comments, Petra. You will notice that Tolkien speaks of biological similarities allowing the two related spieces to intermarry and produce viable offspring. This, in my opinion, does not negate the possibility, that Elves, being essentially immortal from a human viewpoint, don't 'see' things differently from the way humans do or react differently to the same situation which we might consider 'unhuman' (not to be confused with 'inhuman'). And I am not saying that Maglor or any other Elf is Catholic. You are taking this far too literally. I am merely pointing out that what he does is similar to what Catholics (and frankly anybody) does when examining their conscience to see if they need to make amends toward others. It is not a practice exclusive to Catholics, or even to humans. As for your other objections... these are minor errors that can be easily corrected when pointed out in a spirit of friendship and wishing to help the writer imnprove their writing, rather than in a negative spirit of pointing out flaws that anyone can make. And even Tolkien was not consistent. "May the Valar turn him aside!" one of Faramir's Rangers says about the Mûmak. If the man was speaking Common, and we assume this because both Frodo and Sam appear to understand what has been said, then it would have been more correct for Tolkien to use the word 'Powers', which is the English translation of 'Valar', for wherever Tolkien uses the Common Tongue, rather than Elvish or some other language, he 'translates' it into English. But as I said, such things are easily corrected.

Viv	Reviewed Chapter: 60 on 4/21/2009
I liked this. Thought it was good writing, especially once the dialogue began. Denethor has a nice voice. Author Reply: Thanks, Viv. I appreciate you letting me know. I think Denethor has a nice voice, too. I have a feeling he and Maglor will become very good friends.

bookworm	Reviewed Chapter: 60 on 4/18/2009
wibbles at Maglor I want to cuddle him, except, you know, the whole "great Elven Warrior" bit. I'm glad he's fond a bit of hope now! Author Reply: I'm sure you and everyone else! grin Thanks for letting me know you liked this story. I appreciate it.

ellie	Reviewed Chapter: 60 on 4/17/2009
you captured his lonliness and despair very well. i liked the way he was already considering himself a member of the group before he formally accepted. He really did need the companionship more than he realised. beautifully done! Author Reply: Thanks Ellie, I'm glad you enjoyed this.

Midnight Promise	Reviewed Chapter: 60 on 4/17/2009
Hello, I have admired your stories for a long time, and I am (finally) leaving a review. :) I have always wanted to have a finished tale for Maglor, and this story took the cake! I enjoy your writing style and how you play out the characters, making them come to life. I do hope you write something more to this piece. . . Really! It would be awesome to see if the group makes it to Valinor, how everyone is received and if Maglor will ever give his apologies in person. Wow, I just got all worked up thinking about it! ;) Anyway, love your stories and I am looking forward to more! -Midnight Promise Author Reply: Thanks Midnight Promise, I'm glad you enjoyed this. We'll have to see about a continuation.

Thalanee	Reviewed Chapter: 60 on 4/17/2009
Good reply to that review. If I were you, Mr /Mrs Anonymous would make me want to strangle him, but then again, that would make me just as silly as it would make him/her... You obviously don´t need another person to tell you not to listen to him/her, so I won´t ;-) I´ll just ask you to continue to write your wonderful stories! And add my name to the list of those who would love to see a whole story growing out of this chapter smiling and waving Greetings, Thalanee Author Reply: I have no intention of listening to the CARP since the person has nothing constructive to say. And I have every intention of continuing to write. If someone doesn't like my writing, they can go find someone they do like better and that's fine with me. I don't like everything I read in fandom either, but I don't go around dissing the authors because of it. I just go find something else to read instead. I think it's unanimous that people want to see more of this story. I will start planning it out soon and we'll see where it goes. At this point, only my Muse knows all the twists and turns this story can take. grin Thanks again for your support and encouragement,Thalanee. I truly appreciate it.

Mr.Namo	Reviewed Chapter: 60 on 4/17/2009
What a great story. I really enjoyed it. Hmmmmmm. Malgor crosses the ice to reach Aman. Maybe the "other" elves will be able to except him a little better when/if he finally arrives. Some elves might be a little upset to find him alive. grin Very good story. Hope you'll continue it eventually. Author Reply: I'm so glad you enjoyed this. I'm sure there might be some resentment in certain quarters but I think on the whole most of the elves in Valinor will welcome him home, though no doubt with some qualifiers. I think that it's the concensus of the majority of my reviewers that a continuation is definitely in order. I think I will start thinking about it soon. Thanks for letting me know how much you enjoyed this. I really appreciate it.

Edlyn	Reviewed Chapter: 60 on 4/17/2009
Greetings, meldonya! I was glad to find that you had written another piece for your Tapestry but now that I've read it I am more than glad. I guessed from the start that the lone elf was Maglor. If I list all the bits that I loved or that spoke to me I'd be cutting and pasting the entire story. However, I will mention two things that really and truly moved me. ‘Bring the Exiled One home’ - Home. what a wonderful word to hear. There is such love in it and though judgment may await there is most definitely the promise of forgiveness. The voice could have as easily have said 'Bring the Exiled One to Valinor' but that would have had the tone and feeling of judgment without hope of forgiveness. I have always thought that the worst of Maglor's tragedy was that he never felt himdelf worthy of forgiveness, though unlike his brothers he seemed to truly regret his actions. The other bit that I particularly loved was: "What you say may be true, but we will not be swayed from our quest. Before we decided on our course we were a spiritless people, lost to ourselves, to our memories and our regrets. But look at us now. Hear you not the singing and the laughter? See you not the spring in our steps and the smiles on our faces? For the first time in long years we have hope again. We may indeed die somewhere out on the ice further West, but we will die with hope." Everyone needs a purpose to be happy and feel worthwhile. I have always thought that the thing that was behind the fading of the elves remaining in Endore during the Age of Man and the ages to follow was mainly a lack of purpose. They were existing, not living. Looking always back and not forward. Perhaps this flaw is the way that the Marring touched the entire race of elves, whereas Men were Marred with the longing for power and wealth. By finding a purpose, the Harthadrim are fighting against the damage caused by Morgoth. And of course, Eru worked to bring them and Maglor together so that all could start on the way of healing. By the time I finished reading this I was absolutely certain that they would find the Straight Road and would come safely home. Thank you for this story, meldonya. It was something that I really needed to read, especially today. Eru bless! Edlyn Author Reply: Hi Edlyn. Thanks for your lovely review. Your analysis of those two quotes are very apt and well thought out and quite true. Purpose gives us hope for a better future. I think you are correct that the Elves who remained in Middle-earth faded because they had no real purpose. As you say, they were existing, not living. These few Elves however found a reason to go on, regardless of the fact that they may not reach their goal. The journey is what counts. I think they will find the Straight Road, too, though just how that will happen I do not yet know. Perhaps someday I'll find out. grin Eru bless!

Elflingimp	Reviewed Chapter: 60 on 4/17/2009
Sorry but the review below me got me a little angry, your story does too have a soul and connections between people(or elves) you just meet wouldn't be that strong, I saw the reviewer didn't leave their name also which is kinda lacking on their part.I only review stories that move me in some way and I leave my name. Sorry but I just had to say something. Hugs The Imp P.S. Hope I didn't offend. Author Reply: Thanks, Elfingimp. I appreciate your comments. Whoever this CARP is s/he enjoys leaving negative comments meant to hurt rather than offer constructive criticsm. I think this is the same person who has left other negative reviews for other of my stories and either has a personal vendetta against me or is just one of those sick people who can see nothing good in anything another person does, out of jealousy or whatever. Leaving an anonymous review in my mind is the act of a coward. I try not to let such people deter me from writing what I feel compelled to write. Frankly, if they don't like what I write, and can never leave anything but negative reviews, why are they even bothering to read my stories? They should just go read something the do like. Anwyay, you haven't offended me and I'm grateful that you felt compelled to voice your opinion. I agree with you, that these people are complete strangers to one another, so certainly there can be no real connection between them as yet.

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